Apple trees !

[edprocoat]

I had mentioned that I was starting some Apples. These are an Ein Shemer, zone 9, and Florida Gala, zone 8, which should work for my Ohio summers and Florida winters. I got the Gala First and chopped it, a week later I bought and chopped the Ein Shemer which responded first and stronger.

I made two grow boxes late one night from cull lumber with a screen bottom, whiskey drunk and in 15 minutes time, don't judge me !


Grow box by edprocoat, on Flickr

Here is the Ein Shemer after a month.

EinShemer by edprocoat, on Flickr

Back side.

EinShembac by edprocoat, on Flickr

Here is the Gala after 5 weeks.

Fla.gala by edprocoat, on Flickr

Gala back side.

Galaback by edprocoat, on Flickr

I would like to see these flower eventually but I will probably never let them fruit as these are full sized apples.

ed

 

[Smoke]

I have always wanted an apple tree with one apple hanging on it for an exhibit. I saw one many years ago and thought it was cool then.

One apple couldn't hurt. Put a stick under the branch just like they do in the real apple orchard.

 

[sikadelic]

I sprouted 4 seeds last year and have been documenting their progress. Hopefully I will be able to contribute this Spring if they made it over the winter.

 

[Nomiyama]

I bought a full sized regular apple tree from a yamadori collector that was a vendor last year at the Mid Atlantic bonsai show. I have been looking for one for years since I saw one on Jim Gremels website. The one I bought has really old bark and what I think may be flower buds for this coming spring. I am hoping for atleast one apple once I gauge it's strength this spring, if It's strong enough I will let it fruit. I'll post some pics this spring.

 

[edprocoat]

I bought a full sized regular apple tree from a yamadori collector that was a vendor last year at the Mid Atlantic bonsai show. I have been looking for one for years since I saw one on Jim Gremels website. The one I bought has really old bark and what I think may be flower buds for this coming spring. I am hoping for atleast one apple once I gauge it's strength this spring, if It's strong enough I will let it fruit. I'll post some pics this spring.

Is your tree a self pollinator? I had no idea but most apple trees need a pollinator tree nearby to fruit. The Ein Shemer one is a self pollinator and will actually pollinate the Florida Gala which is not a self pollinating tree.

ed

 

[GrimLore]

I was told numerous times that most fruit trees do not flower or fruit the seasons that you are working the roots or pruning.

Grimmy

 

[edprocoat]

I was told numerous times that most fruit trees do not flower or fruit the seasons that you are working the roots or pruning.

Grimmy

Yes most fruiting trees bloom on older wood. I need to grow branches and work on ramification first on this and do not expect any blooms for several years.

Oddly enough though I tried to root the top parts of both trees where they branched out, they were 7 feet tall each. Within a week of cutting it a few inches below where they branched out, applying rooting hormone to the cut off, and placing in a mix of lava and sand, I kept them in the enclosed heated and lighted part under my bench and they grew leaves and then both opened little white flower buds. The next day the small flowers started to wilt so I removed them and within a week the leaves wilted and died. I left them for another week and then took them out of the mix, no signs of rooting at all. I assume it was from the energy in the trunk. In hindsight, maybe if I would have removed the buds and leaves it may have put that energy into roots instead.

ed

 

[edprocoat]

Its coming on towards winter and these are starting to slow down. I have trimmed them a bunch this summer. The placement of the Florida Gala apples branches is not the best. The only leader that came out up top is still weak and slow growing. The internodes are longer on this one. The Ein Shemer had better branch placement and responds quicker and stronger to chops and sprouts closer. I learned the Fl. Gala needs to be cut to 3 leaves. It grows a single leave then further out leaf pairs. When cut to the single leaf the branch dies.

I am posting this wondering if any apple tree peoples (Catfish Chapstick) knows whether the spring is the best time to repot. I want to get them into a shorter grow box as these ones are 8 inch board. I made two new ones that are 3 1/2 inch high and half an inch longer and wider wanting to spread the roots out without trimming them to keep the roots more shallow. I assume the spring is the best bet for a repot but I have never done an apple tree before.

ed

 

[jk_lewis]

From Jardain Botanique in Montreal (one of North America's best bonsai collections:

 

[sikadelic]

Here are my little projects. I started them from seed last year and they have done well this year. I will put all 3 in the ground next Spring and leave them for a few years. I am pretty sure the seeds are from a Fuji apple.

I did a little light wiring a few weeks ago but they gained some nice movement on their own. You can see I left one of the without wire as I liked what it was doing naturally.

 

[edprocoat]

Jarrod, can you see the little lumps on the branches in the pics those are next years new branches. It looks like some of them are either under your wire or touching it which will stop or mess up the growth.

ed

 

[Paulpash]

I had mentioned that I was starting some Apples. These are an Ein Shemer, zone 9, and Florida Gala, zone 8, which should work for my Ohio summers and Florida winters. I got the Gala First and chopped it, a week later I bought and chopped the Ein Shemer which responded first and stronger.

I made two grow boxes late one night from cull lumber with a screen bottom, whiskey drunk and in 15 minutes time, don't judge me !


Grow box by edprocoat, on Flickr

Here is the Ein Shemer after a month.

EinShemer by edprocoat, on Flickr

Back side.

EinShembac by edprocoat, on Flickr

Here is the Gala after 5 weeks.

Fla.gala by edprocoat, on Flickr

Gala back side.

Galaback by edprocoat, on Flickr

I would like to see these flower eventually but I will probably never let them fruit as these are full sized apples.

ed

You could easily thread graft a nice crab apple branch system on - like cerasifera. They take fairly well.

 

[sikadelic]

Jarrod, can you see the little lumps on the branches in the pics those are next years new branches. It looks like some of them are either under your wire or touching it which will stop or mess up the growth.

ed

Thanks for the heads up ed! I will adjust the wire and commit that to memory for next time.

 

[edprocoat]

I thought I would update this thread. The Ein Shemer apple is still out growing the Florida Gala. Oddly enough neither tree lost their leaves. We had freezing temps all through October and snow from in the first week of November, 6 inches of snow on the ground that, never melted for 2 weeks. The Ein Shemer lost about 2/3rds of its foliage while the Florida Gala lost about 3/4ths of its foliage. What stood on the trees is still on and living but about to be removed soon.

The Ein Shemer surprised me, most of the buds opened with new leaf growth while some of the buds are actually blooming !

Einshemer bloom by edprocoat, on Flickr

This is a possible front, you can zee the growth and all the buds that set are still not open.
Einfront2 by edprocoat, on Flickr

Or I may carve that scar down 1 & 1/4 inch into a deep "v" notch and use this side as the front with the scar as the focal point.
Einfront by edprocoat, on Flickr

This is a closeup to show some of the yet to open buds that are set and the other flower buds.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7548/15929537200_0484a45565_z.jpg[/img][/url]Einbloom2 by edprocoat, on Flickr

Those bumps on the branches are buds that set this fall. They are swelling nicely and will open (hopefully) to leaves that will develop into more branching (hopefully, even more so)
Einbloom2 by edprocoat, on Flickr

I am truly surprised that this set so many buds and flowered on new branches that are first year growth !?! But hel;l I will accept it.

ed

 

[edprocoat]

Now the Florida Gala is slowly waking up. I forgot to mention that I am back in Florida after the coldest summer on record in the Midwest and record setting cold from July through November, well had 40 degree nights in July and 50's in August !

This shows the only new growth so far on the Florida Gala sport, two tiny leaf buds opening.
Galadifference by edprocoat, on Flickr

Excuse my photography skills, the small bumps on the branches are all buds that have not opened yet. This shows the trunk movement and the lack of branch ramification on this one. Most the new growth came out on only one side making this tree look sparse from all but one viewpoint. The lower branch on the bottom left side seen here is where I had planned on grafting the branch into the trunk to get a branch off the back, it broke off in transit so maybe next year.
Galamove by edprocoat, on Flickr

This is a possible planting angle which from the trunk scarred side shows great movement in a over 2 inch across trunk. My camera battery died after this pic which was from the wrong side naturally...
Galafront by edprocoat, on Flickr


My hope is that this Florida Gala gets stronger this year and puts out some branches on the backside to give it some balance or else I will be looking at a donor graft, grafting a branch back onto the trunk from a lower established branch. I think they are coming along fairly well for their first year. If the Ein Shemer apple fruits I will leave one full size apple on the tree to eat when it ripens.

ed

 

[Bunjeh]

Invitation

I made two grow boxes late one night from cull lumber with a screen bottom, whiskey drunk and in 15 minutes time, don't judge me !

You can come work drunk at my house anytime! I need about six boxes.

 

[edprocoat]

You can come work drunk at my house anytime! I need about six boxes.

LOL, strange thing is they are still holding together despite the rush job and shoddy workmanship ! I would never work for a customer this poorly, but then again I do not pay myself.

ed

 

[edprocoat]

The Ein Shemer is blooming again and the Fl. Gala still has some leaves from last summer on it, took some pics with my phone but they came out horrible so I will try with a real camera tomorrow .

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Welcome back stranger. Hope life is treating you well.

 

[JudyB]

These trees are developing well Ed. Will await the photos!